Klarinet Archive - Posting 000890.txt from 2000/04

From: "Randy S. Miller" <rsmiller@-----.net>
Subj: [kl] re: Teaching students with piano experience
Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2000 12:28:58 -0400

!Date: Sun, 16 Apr 2000 08:22:33 -0700
!To: <klarinet@-----.org>
!From: "Patricia Smith" <pattiesmith@-----.net>
!Subject: Teaching students with piano experience
!Message-ID: <003801bfa7b7$97f78ca0$9c66173f=pavilion>
!
!I am interested in the experiences of the private teachers on the list in
!regard to new students who have already had some piano. How much of an
!advantage does this give to the student, in your opinion? I began piano at
!six, and clarinet at nine, so I sometimes have to remember that most of my
!students are new to music reading as well as to playing an instrument. On
!the other hand, I recall having a great deal of difficulty with the
physical
!playing of the clarinet, which rendered me helpless until I got some
private
!lessons (with a graduating high school student who had an immense gift as a
!teacher, I might add), and I was probably lucky the difficulties were not
!exacerbated by lack of music reading skill.
!Also, I am interested in more opinions on how to correct problems in new
!private students who have learned a lot of bad habits. They say experience
!is the best teacher, and I would like to draw on others' as well as my own.
!
!Patty Smith

When my brother approached me about what instrument to start his daughter
on, the first thing out of my mouth was piano. Of course, he never listens
to me to begin with (he even more of a skinflint than I am).

When I was still teaching, I could almost always spot the students that had
some experience on the piano. They were the better readers, they already
know how to count, and they knew how to read different clefs. The only
thing I had to worry about teaching were the mechanics of the horn, namely
fingerings, tone production, articulation, etc.

Randy
and the hellhounds of 5th Ave.

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